CWS Central American farmers bring region's food security challenges to Iowa Hunger Summit

[Worldwide Faith News <wfn@igc.org>]

Media Contacts: Lesley Crosson, Church World
Service, (212) 870-2676,
lcrosson@churchworldservice.org Jan Dragin - 24/7
- (781) 925-1526, jdragin@gis.net

> MEDIA ALERT

Central American farmers bring region's food
security challenges to Iowa Hunger Summit

Church World Service to heighten its Central
America program with focus on malnutrition

Editors, producers: Central American delegates to
the Hunger Summit and Church World Serviceâ??s
regional liaison Don Tatlock are available for
interviews, by arrangement. Translation is available where needed.

DES MOINES, IOWA ­ Saturday October 9, 2010 -- A
ssmall delegation of rural farmers, agronomists
and development specialists from vulnerable
regions in Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua are
visiting Des Moines, Iowa, Tuesday October 12 ­
Friday October 15 to share their regionnâ??s food
security struggles and successes amidst poverty,
climate change and high rates of malnutrition
with other U.S. and global participants at
Tuesdayâ??s fourth annual World Food Prize Iowa Hunger Summit.

The five Central American men and women are

partners and participants in sustainable food and
nutrition security programs supported by
humanitarian agency Church World Service. As
special invited guests of the World Food Program
and Foods Resource Bank, the delegates are
scheduled to participate as panelists at October
12 hunger summit sessions and will attend World
Food Prize events October 13-15.

The Guatemalan, Honduran and Nicaraguan guests
come to Iowa representing a collaborative new
regional approach in combating the causes of high
malnutrition and persistent food insecurity in
their region. The Church World Service â??Growing
Healthierâ?? initiative will engage farmers and
local partners across country boundaries in
exchanging ideas, experiences, successful methods
and approaches that can improve nutritional
health and food availability within their
campesino and indigenous farming communities.

The effort will be implemented in the three

countries within existing Church World Service
agriculture and food security programs and is
funded by the Foods Resource Bank and through
donations from CWSâ??s CROP Hunger Walks, held
every year in Iowa and nationwide.

> WHAT AND WHEN:
> The Iowa Hunger Summit
> Tuesday, October 12, 2010
> 9:00 AM to 3:30 PM

and

The World Food Prize Norman E. Bourlaug International Symposium
â??Take It to the Farmerâ?? - Reaching the Worldâ??s Smal lholders
October 13-15, 2010

> WHERE:
> Des Moines Marriott Downtown Hotel
> 700 Grand Avenue
> Des Moines, IA 50309
> (515) 245-5500

WHO:

Among the summitâ??s U.S. and international participants will be:

Representing the Church World Service Central
America â??Growing Healthierâ?? Campaign
Funded by The Foods Resource Bank and Church World Service CROP 
Hunger Walks

From Guatemala:

? Hugo Garrido, execcutive director of CIEDEG
(Conference of Evangelical Churches of Guatemala)

? Olga Tumax (â??too-MOSHâ??), ruural farmer and
leader and trainer of indigenous women for
grassroots organization Ixmucane (â??Ish Mooh KA
nayâ??) Association. Tumax is also a participant
in a CWS-CIEDEG food security program in Totonicapán, Guatemala.

From Honduras:

? Suyapa Ucles (â??Sue YAH Pah OOH kllesâ??),
program director for all programs in Honduras
implemented by CASM (Mennonite Social Action Commission), a CWS 
partner

? Guilmer (â??Wilmerâ??) Miguel, rural  farmer
and participant in the Church World Service food
security program in Nueva Frontera, Santa Bárbara, Honduras

From Nicaragua:

? Rosa María Matamoros, agrronomist, and
director of community development for CIEETS
(Inter-Ecclesiastic Center for Theological and Social Studies), a CWS 
partn er

> BACKGROUND
> The only event of its kind, the Iowa Hunger
> Summit will gather more than 500 participants
> from across Iowa, other U.S. several states and
> foreign countries, who are united by common
> involvement and interest in confronting hunger,
> malnutrition and food insecurity within the U.S.
> and abroad. The Des Moines summit is the official
> kick-off to World Food Prize events each year and
> the awarding of the $250,000 World Food Prize,
> created by Iowaâ??s Nobel Peace Prize Laureate
> Dr. Norman Borlaug and regarded as the â??Nobel
> Prize for Food and Agriculture.â??

Des Moinesâ?? Rev. Russell Melby, director for
the Church World Service Iowa Regional Office and
Iowaâ??s CROP Hunger Walks, says, â??With the
hunger summit and World Food Prize as the
setting, CWS is doubly honored to host its local
Central American partner agencies and
participating farmers to Des Moines, and to
engage with concerned colleagues from Iowa and
around the world on our shared commitments and challenges to end 
hunger.â ??

Melby said â??Itâ??s both fitting and
coincidental that, during this time, many of some
1,600 yearly Church World Service-sponsored CROP
Hunger Walks are taking place across Iowa, the
rest of the farm belt and nationwide. While our
Guatemalan, Honduran and Nicaraguan colleagues
are sharing approaches to ending hunger with
other farmers, food security experts and
activists, Iowans across the state are just
winding up or preparing to â??walk the walkâ??
themselves, raising money to support hunger programs locally and globally. 
â??

> ###